


What's a Backrub Among Friends?

by ahoy_m8tee



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Backrubs, Humanstuck, M/M, Massage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-19
Updated: 2013-11-19
Packaged: 2018-01-02 02:31:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1051481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ahoy_m8tee/pseuds/ahoy_m8tee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gamzee's always had back problems, but it's never this bad. While he's never tried it before, a concerned Tavros is still willing to attempt the art of massage to grant his friend some relief.</p>
            </blockquote>





	What's a Backrub Among Friends?

**Author's Note:**

> Another short thing I wrote in my lecture class, also inspired by a tumblr post I saw late last night. There seems to be a trend here!

“Gamzee, you okay?” 

The lanky figure flinches under your touch when you reach out to grab his shoulder gently. He’s usually droopy and tired looking in a way, but not like this. Any other time and he’s the epitome of relaxed. Now, he just looks exhausted. He turns stiffly to meet your concerned gaze and forces a smile.  
\- “Yeah, Tavbro. What’s got you worried about the Gamzmeister?” You slide around the arm of his couch and settle next to him lightly.  
\- “Did something happen?” His smile stays plastered to his face, but you could’ve sworn your saw something in his eyes dull.  
\- “Naaaah. I’ve just been chilling here and I must have wandered off to z-land. You know me and this couch have a thing for each other.” While this was true, in that your daily after-school visits would usually begin by rousing him from the most sprawled out naps you’d seen in your life, this hadn’t been the case lately. Today was the fifth consecutive day of finding him slumped into the corner of the ratty furniture, staring into space tensely. He seems to know that you’re not buying the act, judging by the guilty frown he’s now attempting to hide under his fluffy hair.  
\- “That’s the problem, Gamz. You’re _not_ sleeping. What’s going on?” He sighs heavily and labors to draw his legs up onto the couch.  
\- “I gots a case of the wicked hurts, Tavbro.” You panic.  
\- “Are you depressed? Did I do something? Did someone-“ He cuts you off with a lighthearted honk of a laugh. That’s a good sign, you suppose, and relax a bit.  
\- “No man, I ain’t being moody or anything, I mean the actual hurts.” He sobers again. “I gotta be honest, my back’s been killing me lately.” Still riding the relief that your best friend wasn’t going through some kind of emotional crisis, you almost forget to respond.  
\- “Wait, how long has this been going on? Have you had anyone look at it?” He shakes his head.  
\- “Been acting up for years. It’s always hurting a bit, but it’s been real bad lately.” He sighs again and winces, eyes watering even from the slight motion. You take note of his slouched shoulders, and it occurs to you that you’ve never seen him any other way. No wonder his back hurts.  
\- “Why haven’t you told me before?” You ask softly as you push the fluff out of your friend’s face. He looks like a scolded child.  
\- “Didn’t wanna complain.” He mumbles, refusing to look at you, but you could swear the tips of his ears were turning darker.

Not really thinking about it, you rise off the couch and wander around behind Gamzee, placing your hands on his shoulders and giving a gentle squeeze. The resulting yelp of pain made your eyes water nearly as much as his. The muscles felt so strained and taught that he could have been carved of marble and no one would tell the difference. Hesitantly, you try squeezing again, only eliciting a strained whine through clenched teeth, but at least he was expecting you this time. You’d never really tried massaging anyone before, but if anyone needed an attempt at the moment, it was Gamzee.  
\- “Hey, do you have a bed we could move this to?” Wow, smooth, Tavros. Of COURSE he has a bed. You’ve been in his room before. “I mean, you’re so tight-” Awesome wording there, idiot. “There’s no way I can try to help you on the couch without being in in an awkward position.” Just stop talking already. You consider the two options of running and pretending you didn’t just string together the three worst sentences in the universe, and just dying of embarrassment on the spot. Surprisingly though, your friend nods and heaves himself up, stiffly tottering down the hallway.

By the time you reach his room, he’s already flung himself facedown, arms plastered to his sides. It’s kind of comical in a way, but you know it’s only because he has no energy to properly situate himself otherwise.  
\- “Hey Tavbro?” A muffled voice comes from the pile of pillows. You freeze. “Be a friend and turn off the light?” Odd request, you suppose. Your mind starts flying down a million gutters it probably shouldn’t but your friend cuts you off. “Here’s hopin’ you’re good enough at this to finally knock me out for a while.” You sigh and run a hand through your Mohawk, somewhat relieved – almost disappointed? No. Bad Tavros. Why the hell would you be disappointed? You make your way over to the bedside and climb up next to Gamzee, staring at him for a few seconds.  
\- “Uh… don’t get your hopes up I guess? I’ve never done anything like this before.”  
\- “Just get to the wicked rubs, man. No stressing about it.” You eventually settle down next to him and resume tentatively prodding at the juggalo’s shoulder blades. Just as you begin to doubt it’s doing anything for him, the man beneath your hands lets out a throaty purr and sinks farther into the pillows. Reassured, you grow bolder in your movements, pressing the heel of your hands down and sliding them upward, forcing the locked muscles along their natural range of motion. Gamzee twinges and whimpers, causing you to practically jump off the bed, falling over yourself apologizing.  
\- “I’m so sorry! I told you I didn’t know what I was doing!” Gamzee flops his head to the side and stares up at you pitifully.  
\- “Bro, this ow is a hell of a lot nicer than the other kind. By all means, keep going.” You sigh and climb back up onto the bed once more.

 

[Be Gamzee ==>]

Your name is GAMZEE MAKARA, and holy motherfuck is your friend talented with his hands. 

It’s been a long four days. Sure, you keep trying to get your nap on, but not even the Couch-o-Miraculous-Comfs could put you out for long. Your back is always hurting, hence why you’re always doped up on some kind of meds. But, very occasionally, it gets _bad_. First time it happened in high school, you tried to up your own dosage to mask it. Ended up accidentally overdosing and wigging out the old man. Yeah, you never made that mistake again. Now you just try to sleep it off, waiting for the point where you can walk relatively pain free again. This time though… this time you couldn’t even sleep it off. There’s no sleeping when something as simple as breathing sends stabbing pain up your spine. In fact, you’ve tried to avoid leaving this couch as much as possible. Tavros’ daily visits always picked up your spirits, but of course he’d have to leave at some point. Then you’d be left to waiting again. 

Now, the younger man had you at his mercy, melting like butter under his hands. His first few squeezes back on the couch had caught you off guard, and motherfuck it hurt like nothing else – but now it was different. When it came down to it, Tavbro was a natural. You still don’t know why he was so uptight about it. The kid must have had some kind of practice before, but he was just being modest as always. With every press of Tav’s wrist into your shoulders, you felt a little more fleshy and less like a living gargoyle. He makes your muscles move again. Every dig of his fingers along your spine melts you farther into your dark purple comforter. It isn’t long before you feel Tav swing a leg over you, followed by a lot of incoherent apologizing for the awkward position, but he “just couldn’t reach your other side otherwise”. Bro’s all kinds of adorable with he’s flustered like this. Sometimes a pass of his hand would pull a satisfied grumble from you, but otherwise you were defaulting to nonsensical muttering. You’re not even sure what you were muttering about though, because this miracle of a friend was granting you a reprieve from your pain and four nights of sleeplessness were finally allowed to catch up to you.


End file.
